One of the
striking features of the catastrophe in Ukraine is how unambiguously the
principles of just war doctrine seem to apply.
On the one hand, Russia’s invasion cannot be justified given the
criteria of just war theory. On the
other hand, NATO military action against Russia cannot be justified
either. Here are the criteria for just
military action as set out in section 2309 of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church:
At one and the same time:
- the damage inflicted by the
aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and
certain;
- all other means of putting an end
to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
- there must be serious prospects of
success;
- the use of arms must not produce
evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction
weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.
End
quote. I submit that Russia’s invasion
clearly fails to meet the first, second, and fourth criteria, and NATO military
action against Russia would clearly fail to meet the second, third, and fourth criteria.